AMCEN_17_5biodiversity status

Biodiversity economy and natural capital accounting in Africa
Note by the secretariat
A. Africa: a continent rich in biological diversity
1. Biological diversity is defined as the number, variety and variability of living organisms in a given assemblage.1 The “assemblage” refers to what are commonly known as ecosystems, which include terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems. It is important to note that biodiversity includes ecosystems that are managed, such as plantations, farms, croplands, aquaculture sites, rangelands, or urban parks and urban ecosystems, as well as unmanaged ecosystems, such as wildlands, nature reserves or national parks.2